


The Predicament of Mittens III

by dontsaycrazy



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: A Week of Kagehina, Alternate Universe, Day 2 - Tinkle, Fluff, Lots and lots of cats, M/M, Neighbors, Pets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-15
Updated: 2015-06-15
Packaged: 2018-04-04 14:37:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4141503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dontsaycrazy/pseuds/dontsaycrazy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mittens III deserved better than one owner who couldn't even decide on a proper name for his cat. So Mittens III got two instead.</p><p>(Written for Kagehina Week!)</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Predicament of Mittens III

     Hinata loves Berdinard III more than anything. He loves how soft his fur is, in all its black and white glory. He loves the cute sounds he makes when he sees him in the morning, perched proudly on the windowsill. He loves how he purrs while he eats, stretches, grooms, and does pretty much everything. He loves how cute and cuddly he looks when he sprawls on the bed next to him, and rolls over on his back, silently asking to be pet, and he loves how warm his round tummy feels every time he runs his fingers over its silky fur.

     Still, Hinata has to admit that he worries himself sick every time Berdinard III jumps out the window, and disappears till next morning. But he knows that cats love to be outside, especially those that used to be strays, like Berdinard III. It’s not like he can forcefully keep him inside, after all. It’s almost a tacit agreement between the two of them, formed on the day when Berdinard III appeared outside Hinata’s window, still a tiny, whiny little kitten: every night, Berdinard III has to go out.

     But Hinata still loves his fat, soft, cuddly cat to death.

     What he doesn’t love, however, is the brand-new collar that his fat, soft, cuddly cat is sporting that morning. And he definitely doesn’t love how, along with Berdinard III’s loving meows, a strange tinkle reaches his ears on that particular morning, coming from the window, as usual.

     “What the hell is this!?” Hinata exclaims once he sees the unfamiliar blue band that adorns his cat’s neck, complete with a tiny golden bell that tinkles every time Berdinard III moves his head. “Berdinard III, who did this!?”

     But the only response that Hinata gets from the cat is (predictably) a high-pitched meow and a wide-eyed yellow stare.

~•~

     Kageyama has never been good with animals. It’s not that he doesn’t like them; actually, it seems like it’s the other way round: animals don’t really like _him_. It has always been a concern of his, the fact that cats run away from him every time he approaches them, or the dirty looks and low growls he gets from dogs every time he goes to pet them. He got used to it, eventually, but he couldn’t help but to develop a strange weariness around animals, always fearing that even the smallest of movements will startle them, and cause them to run away.

     That’s the reason why he stood frozen in his doorway for at least five minutes when he opened the door to his apartment one day and found a cat sitting in the middle of his living room. After looking wide eyed at the fat, spotted cat for a while, Kageyama reached a conclusion:

     “That’s not my cat…” he mumbled to himself, and then finally dared to take a step towards the animal.

     He expected it to run away and jump out the window (that he had forgotten to close that morning, judging by the sudden apparition of a strange cat inside his house), but the cat only blinked its wide yellow eyes, and yawned. Without taking his eyes off the cat, Kageyama slowly walked into the kitchen, followed by a pair of curious eyes. He rummaged around the shelves, stealing little glances at the cat from over his shoulder, surprised to still find it there every time he checked.

     Eventually, he found a single can of tuna, and opened it. The cat’s ears flicked at the sound, and it lout out a single, high-pitched meow. Slowly, carefully, Kageyama crouched down, and slid the can towards the cat, who gave it a couple sniffs before gladly lapping at it.

     Kageyama watched it eat, still crouched on the floor, looking a lot like a little kid.

     “You’re kinda cute,” he mumbled after a while, earning a wide-eyed look from his unexpected guest.

     And then, much to Kageyama’s surprise, the cat strutted over to him, and rubbed his head against his hand, purring loudly.

     Kageyama didn’t remember ever touching a cat before.

     It was heavenly.

~•~

     From that day on, Kageyama always left his window open. And almost every day, the cat would be there, waiting for him in the middle of the living room. Kageyama learned to always have at least one can of tuna in his kitchen, and he also learned that scratching the cat’s belly would get him the most satisfying purr ever.

     Before he even realized it, Kageyama, who had never had a pet, or even an animal who liked him in the least, suddenly had a cat. A cat who seemed to like him a lot, judging by the way it meowed loudly whenever he came home, and the gentle eye-batting he got every time he scratched its belly.

     Mittens (a _very_ masculine name for his _very_ masculine cat, thank you very much) still left every morning, but Kageyama didn’t worry. He probably had some cat business to attend to, and he was still there every night when he came home.

     That’s how, suddenly, Kageyama found himself actually loving another living creature.

     Maybe that’s why he buys that corny little collar he sees when he walks past the pet store every day, the one with the tiny bell that makes a tinkling sound.

     “There you go, Mittens,” he says once he finishes adjusting it around the cat’s neck.

     Mittens looks up at him, and the movement of his head makes the bell ring pleasantly. He jumps out the corner and struts towards his food plate, accompanied by the sweet sound of the bell. It’s so cute that Kageyama even allows himself to smile a little.

~•~

     Hinata carefully takes the collar off of Berdinard III’s neck, and inspects it closely. It looks new, judging by the cheerful shine of the bell. He shakes it a little, and is rewarded by a clear sound coming from the bell. Sitting on the couch next to him, Berdinard III flicks his ears at the sound, and meows quietly, earning Hinata’s attention.

     “Are you cheating on me, Berdinard III?” Hinata asks with a hurtful expression on his face. Berdinard III meows once again, and Hinata cracks a tiny smile before picking him up to settle him on his lap. “You’re heavy. And fat,” he declares, running his hands over the cat’s round belly. “More than usual.”

     Berdinard III labors to roll over on Hinata’s lap, exposing his round belly. Hinata’s brow creases with worry, but he scratches it nonetheless.

     “You were already fat, you know?” he mumbles, and the cat cracks one eye open to look at him. “Does your lover feed you better than I do?”

     Berdinard III opens his other eye at the sound of Hinata’s hurt voice, and then jumps off his lap. Wiggling his tail from side to side, he looks at Hinata from over his shoulder and meows before strutting towards the kitchen. When he notices that his owner is not following, he looks at him again and meows impatiently.

     “I’m coming, you fatty,” Hinata says, with a hint of laughter in his voice. His smile fades from his lips when the collar, still in his hand, makes another tinkling sound. He looks at it and sighs. “But honestly, who put this on you?”

~•~

     As soon as he opens the door, Kageyama is greeted, as usual, by the sound of meowing, and tiny feet padding on the rug. He turns on the light and crouches down to pet Mittens’ head, receiving a large amount of purring in return.

     “Hey there, buddy,” Kageyama greets the cat. He moves to scratch him under his chin, and notices something strange. He scowls, and gently raises Mittens’ head to examine his neck. “Where is your collar?”

~•~

     Hinata knows he worries too much. He knows that Berdinard III is a responsible adult, entirely capable of taking care of himself. But on the second day of not seeing his cat at all, and after reading every respectable source about finding missing cats, he sprints out the door, blue collar in hand, determined to find his cat.

~•~

     Cats do that, he guesses. One day, they leave, and they don’t come back. It’s sad, and lonely, and the feeling of not knowing what happened to them must be terrible.

     So he’ll be damned if he doesn’t go out looking for his cat, Kageyama thinks when he slams the front door behind himself, and sprints down the hall.

~•~

     “Berdinard III!”

     Hinata’s voice echoes around the nearly empty parking lot. He looks around, bottom lip buried between his teeth, before shaking the collar in his hand. The sound of tiny bell also resounds around him, and once it fades, he stops to try and hear any responding meow. When the sound doesn’t come, Hinata sighs deeply.

     “Where are you?” he mumbles, defeated, and then shakes his head. A look of determination settles on his face, before he calls out with reinvigorated volume. “Berdinard III!”

~•~

     Kageyama runs into the building’s parking lot, already out of breath. He has looked in every place he thinks a cat would hide: the park behind the building, and the one in the next block, including every tall tree he found on the way there. He checked the alleyway behind the grocery store, and asked the florist down the block if he had seen a white cat with black spots, only to end up being even more disappointed when he received a negative answer. It isn’t until he decides to check under the cars that are parked at the side of the road, that he realizes he still hasn’t checked the parking lot of his own building.

     When Kageyama gets there, there’s already a wacko screaming out weird things.

     “‘Berdinard III’?” Kageyama mumbles to himself once he realizes what the stranger is screaming.

     He’s just decided to ignore the weirdo, and keep looking for Mittens, when a familiar sound reaches his ears; a soft, tinkling sound. Kageyama whips his head towards the source of the sound.

     “Mittens?” he calls out, and immediately hears the sound again. He frantically looks around, but there’s still no sign of his cat. The hopeful smile that had started to form on his lips slowly fades away. And then, he hears it again. Only now, he finally sees where it’s coming from.

     “Hey!” he calls out furiously, running towards the stranger, who keeps yelling out the same weird-ass name. “That’s my cat’s collar!”

     The stranger turns around, and he’s all brown eyes under bright orange locks, perched over roughly 160 cm of stature.

     And maybe Kageyama is a little bit impressed by how cute this particular weirdo turned out to be. That is, until his face breaks down into a grimace, and he spouts out an offended _“Huh?”_

     “This is _my_ cat’s collar!” he says, crossing his arms over his chest. The bell tinkles again, and he looks at it for a moment. “Ok, maybe I wasn’t the one who bought it, but it was on _my_ cat’s neck…” he mumbles, avoiding Kageyama’s gaze.

     “Huh?” Kageyama exclaims, growing angrier by the second. “Don’t be ridiculous, I bought that for _my_ cat!”

     “Well, it was on _my_ cat’s neck, oka-!” The stranger interrupts himself to gasp loudly. His eyes become huge, and he takes a hurried step towards Kageyama. He points a finger at his chest, and Kageyama takes a step back. “You!”

     “What!?” is all Kageyama can say at the sudden change in attitude.

     “You’re Berdinard III’s lover!” the stranger accuses, pushing his finger into Kageyama’s chest.

     Kageyama gives him a wide-eyed look, and then shoves his finger off his chest, completely bewildered.

     “WHAT!?”

~•~

     “So we have the same cat,” Kageyama concludes.

     “It appears we do,” Hinata agrees through gritted teeth.

     It took nearly ten minutes of confused shouting and misunderstood accusations until they both reached the same conclusion. Now, sitting on the ground of the parking lot, with the blue collar clutched inside Hinata’s hand, they’re still waiting for it to sink in.

     “Alright!” Hinata exclaims after a while. He stands up and wipes his pants off, before setting his hands on his hips. The bell of the collar makes small noises with every one of his movements. “Here’s what we gonna do: we’re gonna find Berdinard III-”

     “What the fuck kind of name is that?”

     “And then,” Hinata continues, ignoring Kageyama’s interruption. “You’re gonna stay the hell away from _my_ cat!”

     “ _Your_ cat!?” Kageyama gets up as well, towering over Hinata with an offended frown on his face. “We just agreed that we _both_ owned him!”

     “Well, I owned him first!”

     “Well, I owned him _better_!”

     “What the hell is that supposed to mean!?”

     “I got him a collar! Did _you_ get him a collar?”

     “Well, your collar _sucks_!” Hinata shoves the collar against Kageyama’s chest, and the contrast between the tinkling sounds it makes and the violence of the action is almost funny.

     They stand there for a moment, in the middle of the parking lot, almost growling at each other, until a weird, yet familiar sound reaches their ears. They both snap their heads to look at the car that’s parked next to them, and then turn to look at each other before scrambling to look underneath it.

     “Berdinard III!”

     “Mittens!”

     “ _Mittens!?_ ” Hinata exclaims disbelievingly once they’re crouched down next to the car. “Seriously?”

     “Shut up, you idiot!” Kageyama snaps at him. He’s about to keep bickering, until his eyes land on a familiar patch of black and white fur. A smile begins to spread across his lips, but it’s replaced by a look of utter surprise once his eyes take in the whole picture. “Are those-?”

     “Kittens!?” Hinata hisses, just as surprised as Kageyama.

     Their cat looks at them with characteristic wide eyes, and meows softly as a greeting, before reaching out to lick the head of one of the four tiny little kittens that are nestled together against her belly.

~•~

     They needed the help of the concierge and two other neighbors to get momma cat and her kittens from under the car and into Hinata’s apartment. She’s uncharacteristically calm during the short trip, but she still manages to scratch every single person involved in the move. Now, sleeping on a makeshift nest made of Hinata’s old blankets next to the couch, she’s even more calm, about to fall asleep while her kittens suckle on her nipples.

     Hinata and Kageyama got her to eat something as soon as they set her in, and now they’re crouched down in front of her, watching as she slowly falls asleep.

     “They’re so tiny,” Kageyama mumbles, looking at the kittens with curiosity. Three of them are black and white, like their mother, and one of them (the most excitable, judging by the way it walks all over its siblings) is a grey tabby. Kageyama cracks a smile, watching as they move their tiny heads and paws. “And adorable.”

     He hears sniffling next to him, and turns to see Hinata crying.

     “Why the hell are you crying!?”

     “I can’t believe I’m a grandpa…” Hinata mumbles, and his eyes shine with adoration when he looks at the kittens.

    Kageyama is about to call him an idiot for crying over such a stupid thing, but when his eyes fall on the lovely scene before him, he can’t help but to smile, and nod in agreement.

~•~

     “Man, I would’ve never guessed Berdinard III was a girl.” Hinata’s voice reaches Kageyama from the kitchen, where’s he’s making tea for the two of them.

     Kageyama takes his eyes off the kittens and their mom, and his eyes fall on the window, where big raindrops have started to fall a while ago. He finally looks at Hinata, who’s walking out the kitchen one mug in each hand.

     “I guess we should’ve known,” Kageyama says, accepting his mug with a small nod. “She didn’t have balls, after all.”

     “Yeah, you’re right.”

     Hinata pads over to the couch and flops into the cushions, cradling his tea between his hands. They both stare silently at the five cats sleeping next to the couch, until Hinata speaks again.

     “I think we should rename her.”

     “Well, Mittens could be a unisex name.”

     “Mittens is a terrible name!” Hinata whines, scrunching up his nose. He gets an offended look from Kageyama, but decides to ignore it. “She will be Florence III, then!”

     “ _Your_ names are terrible!” Kageyama accuses, and Hinata sticks his tongue out at him. Kageyama rolls his eyes, and then goes back to staring at the cats. “But why ‘III’? Were there two others before her?”

     “There were, but they all ran away…” Hinata mumbles, playing with the rim of his mug. His face falls into a frown before he continues. “I would see them later, all fattened by some other neighbor that gave them more food.”

     “Wow. That sounds like you were a sucky owner.”

     “I wasn’t! I just wanted Berdinard and Berdinard II to be healthy cats!” Hinata sighs, and then gets up to crouch next to Kageyama to stare at the cats as well. “But I guess I was scared that Berdinard III would run away too, so I might have given her too much food.”

     Kageyama hums in response, inwardly wondering if he had fed her too much as well.    

     “That’s why I got so scared when I saw your collar. I thought Berdinard III would run away as well…” Hinata mumbles, and a small pout appears on his lips.

     “Well,” Kageyama says after a while. He stops to pat Hinata’s hair in a comforting gesture, before looking over at their cat, currently asleep with her four little kittens, and looking immensely peaceful. He lets a tiny smile play on his lips, and then looks at Hinata, who also smiles when he sees how cute the five cats look together. “It doesn’t look like she wants to run away.”

~•~

     They take care of them together for the next couple of weeks; they decided to let Mittens III (who ended up with such an unfortunate name after a nearly hour-long, and evidently fruitless discussion) and her kittens stay at Hinata’s apartment, and Kageyama got a copy of the key in case of emergency. They eventually learnt that Mittens III was an entirely competent mother who barely needed any help at all, but they still couldn’t resist being close to the kittens.

     “Hey, Kageyama!” Hinata calls out from the living room one day.

     “What?” Kageyama answers from the kitchen, where he’s making lunch for the two of them. Eating together has become common for them ever since they “became grandparents”, as Hinata likes to call it. Since neither of them wants to be away from their “kids” for more than strictly necessary, they have started to spend a lot of their free time together.

     “Don’t you think we should name the kittens?”

     Kageyama lowers the temperature of the stove, and puts the lid on the pot before joining Hinata in the living room. The kittens meow and blink their recently opened eyes at Hinata while he carefully pets their heads and scratches them under their chin. Kageyama takes a moment to appreciate the scene, before crouching down next to Hinata.

     “We should,” he agrees. Hinata’s face immediately breaks into a grin.

     “I have the perfect names, then!” Kageyama raises his eyebrows at the excitement in Hinata’s voice, but Hinata ignores his judging look, and instead focuses on pointing at two at the kittens, currently asleep against their mother’s belly. “You see those two have identical spots over their eyes, right?”

     “Yes.”

     “They should be ‘Mochi’ and ‘Dango’!” Hinata exclaims proudly, and the sound of his voice awakes one of the kittens, who blinks blearily and yawns before curling back against its sibling.

     “Mochi and Dango?” Kageyama repeats incredulously. “Really?”             

     “Yes, cause the spots over their eyes look like a mochi, and a dango!”

     “Those are the worst names e-”

     “And you’re gonna be Florence Jr.!” Hinata announces, interrupting Kageyama. He points at the remaining spotted kitten.

     “Hey, don’t go naming them without me!” Kageyama whines. “And you don’t even know if it’s a girl!”

     “She is, she has three colors!”

     “She does?”

     “You haven’t noticed?” Hinata carefully lifts the kitten’s tail, and points at a tiny grey spot that was previously hidden. “See?”

     “Oh…” Kageyama says pensively.

     “Then Florence Jr. it is!” Hinata says, clapping his hands together with a huge smile on his face.

     “Wait, no!” Kageyama exclaims, earning an annoyed look from Hinata. “Why ‘Jr.’?”

     “Because her mom is Mittens Florence III!” Hinata explains, as it the answer was obvious.

     “No, she’s not! ‘Florence’ was never in the agreement!”

     “Ugh, fine!” Hinata huffs and crosses his arms over his chest, defeated. “Then just Florence.”

     “You suck at naming,” Kageyama says, and then continues to talk before Hinata can start bickering. “I’m gonna name this one,” he announces, pointing at the grey tabby.

     The small cat looks up at him with wide eyes, and then starts to crawl towards him. Hinata and Kageyama know that it’s almost time for the kittens to start walking, but they still have to crawl their way around on their tummies. And even though Hinata and Kageyama don’t usually agree on _anything_ , they can both agree that they look incredibly cute while doing it.

     Carefully, Kageyama picks up the little cat and cradles him against his chest. He stares at him for a moment, trying to decide on a name.

     “How about we name him,” Hinata starts, and Kageyama is already rolling his eyes. “The Little Giant!”

     One deadly glare from Kageyama is enough to make Hinata shut up, and focus on petting the other kittens.

~•~

     There’s a loud knock on his wall, coming from Hinata’s side, and a hurried _“Kageyama, come here, quick!”_ and that’s all it takes for Kageyama to sprint out of his bed and out of his apartment, still clad in his pajamas. He barely remembers to grab the key to Hinata’s apartment on his way out, and then he has a lot of trouble with inserting it in the keyhole.

     “Hinata, what happened!?” Kageyama exclaims as soon as he flings the door open.

     “Kageyama!” Hinata turns around. His face flushed with excitement, and a wide grin looks like it will make the top of his head fall off. “Come here, quick!”

     “What is it?” Kageyama asks, striding over to join Hinata in the living room.

     “They’re walking!”

     Kageyama looks down, and sees four little fur balls standing on their own, tiny paws, and walking wobbly towards him and Hinata. Their tiny meows echo around the entire apartment, forming a chorus with Hinata’s own sounds of excitement. Their mother watches them from a safe distance, looking as nervous as Kageyama.

     “They’re walking,” he mumbles, watching as Florence reaches his toes, and then meows up at him. He moves his foot, and she keeps staggering ahead, managing to look incredibly clumsy, while still acting like a complete princess.

     “They’re walking!” Hinata announces. He crouches down to pick up Mittens III, and rubs his cheek against her face. “Our kids are walking, Mittens III!”

     Mittens III whines, and struggles her way out of Hinata’s reach. She lands gracefully on the floor, and then glares up at her owner, who laughs heartily before offering an amused _“Sorry, sorry!”_

     Kageyama doesn’t noticeany of that, busy as he is with searching for a grey ball of fur he hasn’t seen yet.

     “Where’s Tora?” Kageyama asks, and receives a wide-eyed look from Hinata.

     “I don’t know, he was here just a moment ago.”

     Kageyama looks around, and then crouches down when he hears a familiar little sound coming from under the couch.

     “Always the adventurous one, huh, buddy?” he says with relief once he catches sight of the grey kitten, exploring the world under Hinata’s furniture.

     Tora meows loudly, and jumps over to him, as gracefully as he can (which is not much), to start swatting at Kageyama’s bangs. Kageyama laughs and pulls back, and Tora emerges from under the couch, covered with dust and fluff.

     “You’re gonna have to start sweeping under your couch,” Kageyama says once he gets up. Hinata’s answer comes as a groan.

     They end up sitting on the floor side to side, watching as the four kittens explore the living room and the kitchen, followed closely by their mother. After a while, Hinata rests his head on Kageyama’s shoulder, and Kageyama’s entire body stiffens, making Hinata pull back.

     “It’s okay,” Kageyama mumbles after a moment, looking away to try and hide his slightly reddened cheeks.

     Hinata examines him for a moment, before softly placing his head back on Kageyama’s shoulder. They both let out a soft sigh at the same time, and relax against one another.   

     That is, until Hinata has to run into the kitchen with a loud _“Tora, no!”_ , when he sees Tora trying to get under the fridge.

~•~

     “We can’t keep them all.”

     “Why not!?”

     Hinata looks up at him from the floor, where he’s sitting, and playing with all four of the kittens. His eyes look impossibly round and wide from this angle, Kageyama notices.

     “They’re too many,” Kageyama explains. “We can’t take care of them forever. We are not even supposed to have pets in this complex!”

     “But I wanna keep them all!” Hinata whines, hugging Dango against his cheek with a childish pout on his face.

     “And I’m telling you that we can’t!” Kageyama lets out an exasperated sigh at the pleading look Hinata is giving him. He rubs his eyes, and then moves to sit next to him on the floor. “We barely even had time to take care of Mittens III before. And that was between the two of us!”

     “Yes, but-!”

     “And what about the money?” Kageyama continues. “Soon they’re gonna start to eat on their own, and we’re gonna have to buy food for five cats. Not to mention the litter, and the vet appointments. We’ve spent a lot of money on that so far.”

     Hinata worries his bottom lip between his teeth, and looks down at the kittens. Kageyama gently places a hand on his shoulder, and waits until Hinata meets his gaze.

     “I want to keep them too. I do,” Kageyama starts. “But we can’t, Hinata. It’s the best for them too.”

     “Fine,” Hinata mumbles, defeated. He places Dango on the floor and stands up to walk into the kitchen. “I’ll start looking for people who will want to adopt them.”

     Kageyama watches him go, and resists the urge to sigh again. He feels a pair of tiny paws trying to climb on his legs, and looks down to see Mochi silently staring at him. Kageyama picks her up and hugs her against his chest, receiving a high-pitched meow, and a soft purr in return.

     “I know,” he whispers, and then presses a soft kiss on the kittens head. “I know.”

~•~

     Kageyama pushes the key into the keyhole, and carefully turns it over, trying to be as silent as possible. He steps into Hinata’s dark apartment, and looks around before carefully closing the door behind him. First, he looks around the floor for any kittens wandering around, and when he finds none, he looks around the apartment for his cell phone, that he forgot to take with him when he left a couple hours ago.

     He steps into the living room, and when he reaches the couch, his eyes land on an abnormally big lump on the floor. He squints to try and find out what it is, and then frowns when he realizes that it’s Hinata, cuddled around Mittens III and the kittens, sound asleep.

     Kageyama heaves a sigh and crouches down to gently shake Hinata awake. Hinata, along with two of the kittens, blinks blearily and rubs on his eyes before looking at him.

     “Kageyama?”

     “Come on, you dumbass, you’re gonna catch a cold,” Kageyama whispers, helping Hinata up by the arm.

     Hinata lets Kageyama guide him to his bedroom, padding slowly and yawning loudly. Once they reach his bed, Hinata flops down into the sheets, pulling Kageyama into the bed with him.

     “Stop it, you idiot!” Kageyama hisses, sitting up with a frown.

     Kageyama stares at Hinata trying to make out his features under the dim moonlight that filters through the window. He’s focused on the shadow of his eyelashes over his cheeks, when Hinata’s voice surprises him.

     “Hey, Kageyama,” Hinata mumbles sleepily, without even opening his eyes.

     “Mmm?” Kageyama hums, running his fingers through Hinata’s orange locks. He has long ago given up on resisting the urge to touch Hinata’s hair. It’s almost as soft as a kitten’s fur.

     “We should have more kittens.”

     “You dumbass, we can barely deal with four of them and you want more?”

     “But they are so cute…” Hinata finally opens his eyes, and when his brown gaze falls on Kageyama’s eyes, he stops moving his fingers trough his hair. “And we’re gonna have to give them away…”

     “I know.”

     “I’m gonna miss them,” Hinata says with a sigh.

     “Me too,” Kageyama agrees, and then his fingers resume their movements on Hinata’s head.

     “And I’m gonna miss you.”

     Kageyama frowns, confused and surprised at Hinata’s words.

     “Why would you miss _me_?”

     “Once we give the kids away, we won’t have to take care of them, and I won’t see you anymore.” Hinata sounds honestly distressed (as much as his sleepy voice allows him), and Kageyama can’t stop himself from thinking that it is strangely adorable.

     “Well, we’ll still have to take care of Mittens III. Don’t you dare think I will hand her over to you.”

     “So you won’t leave?” Hinata asks, and there’s a hint of hopefulness in his voice that almost makes Kageyama want to hug him. Almost.

     “I just told you I won’t, you idiot,” Kageyama replies, and despite the insult, his tone is more reassuring than anything.

     Hinata cracks a smile, and Kageyama can see how bright his eyes are, half-lidded and everything. Hinata moves his head to the side, almost nuzzling Kageyama’s hand, and closes his eyes. He sighs, and his smile slowly fades.

     “But I’m still gonna miss the kittens,” he mumbles.

     Kageyama sighs, defeated, and looks up at the ceiling.

     “Fine,” he growls, giving-in. “We can keep one.”

     “Really!?” Hinata says, and his eyes fly open. Kageyama nods, and a wild grin spreads across Hinata’s lips. “Yaaaay!”

     “But only one, you hear me?” Kageyama says, trying to sound as authoritarian as he can. Hinata nods slowly a couple times.

     “You’re the best, Kageyama,” Hinata mumbles, closing his eyes again, and this time, he definitely nuzzles Kageyama’s hand.

     He doesn’t say anything else after that, and the slow rise and fall of his chest lets Kageyama know that he’s fallen asleep. Kageyama throws a blanket over him, and then stands up to leave.

     And when he leaves Hinata’s bedroom, the prospect of going back to his own, lonely bed doesn’t seem too attractive at all.

~•~

     Florence is the first one to go. She is adopted by the florist, who falls in love at first sight when Hinata and Kageyama show him a picture of her, sleeping on her back on one of Hinata’s pillows. The kind old man promises to let them visit her at the store, but that doesn’t stop Hinata from crying once he has to hand her over.

     Hinata refuses to give out Dango and Mochi separately ( _“They’re a team, Kageyama! A combo!”_ ), so it takes a while to find a home for them. They end up giving them to the cute girl who lives right in front of Hinata, and she ends up being as keen to break the “no pets rule” as Hinata and Kageyama are once he sees the little kittens run out of Hinata’s apartment and into the hall when he opens the door at the same time she does one day.

     Yachi promises to let them visit the twins any time they want to, and Hinata hugs her for at least five minutes, while Kageyama stands there with one kitten in each hand.

     “That turned out better than we expected,” Kageyama says, closing the door to Hinata’s apartment behind him.

     “Our kids are close to us, and we can visit them!” Hinata exclaims with excitement. He grabs Kageyama’s sleeve, smiling widely at him. “Hey, let’s go visit Florence!”

     “We just gave her away two days ago!”

     “But I miss her already!”

     “Don’t bother the florist,” Kageyama orders, and Hinata goes to sulk on the couch, holding a pillow against his chest.

     Kageyama stops glaring at him to look at Tora, who is busy with biting on his mother’s ears and tail while she tries to sleep. Kageyama sits down on the floor next to him, and lets him fight his fingers, a challenge that Tora is willing to accept, judging by the way he immediately attacks them.

     “So I guess you get to stay with us, buddy,” Kageyama says.

     Hinata smiles at Kageyama’s words. They are both silent for a while, until Hinata speaks up.

     “I feel like after taking care of those little troublemakers, we could get married and have kids.”

     Hinata slams his mouth shut once he realizes how embarrassing his words must’ve sounded. He prays that Kageyama had been too focused on playing with Tora to have heard him. But Kageyama seems to have heard him entirely well, because what he says next nearly makes Hinata fall off the couch.

     “Well, we could start by moving in together.”

     Hinata doesn’t say anything, too focused on staring at Kageyama’s back, eyes wide and mouth agape. When Hinata’s answer doesn’t come, Kageyama finally turns around to look at him, still sitting on the floor next to the overly-excited kitten.

     “G-geez, Kageyama, at least ask me to be your boyfriend first!” Hinata finally manages to choke out. He avoids Kageyama’s eyes, trying to hide his blush behind his bangs.

     “Fine.” Kageyama gets up, and walks towards Hinata with the blankest expression on his face. He leans in until he’s almost face to face with him, and then waits until Hinata eyes finally meet his.“Be my boyfriend.”

     Hinata blushes up to the tip of his ears, and babbles incoherently for a moment, before slamming a cushion against Kageyama’s face.

     “Ouch, you dumbass, what the hell is your problem!?”

     “Don’t ask things like that all of sudden!”

~•~

     The sunlight is gentle as it filters trough the window and between the curtain, and bathes the bedroom a golden hue. And along with the cheery chirping of the birds, a small chorus of tinkling sounds comes in from behind the closed door, followed by two loud meows.

     Hinata stirs a little inside Kageyama’s arms, and scrunches up his face before cracking his eyes open. He presses his forehead against Kageyama’s collarbone and tries to fall back asleep. The tinkling and the meows enter the bedroom again, more insistently this time, and Hinata sighs.

     “Kageyama,” he mumbles without opening his eyes.

     “Mmm?” Kageyama’s small hum shakes its way through its chest, its vibrations resounding against Hinata’s cheek.

     “Go feed the cats, it’s your turn.”

     “No way, it’s your turn.”

     “Please,” Hinata begs, rubbing his cheek against Kageyama’s chest.

     Kageyama heaves a defeated sigh, and untangles himself from Hinata’s grasp to sit up on the bed. Just as he’s about to get up, Hinata grabs him by the wrist, and pulls him back into the bed.

     “What are you doing, you idiot?”

     “Don’t go, the bed gets cold when you’re gone,” Hinata mumbles, wrapping his arms around Kageyama’s waist, and nuzzling the spot between his shoulder blades.

     “Do you want me to feed the cats or not?” Kageyama sighs with exasperation when he gets nothing but a groan in return, but he still intertwines his fingers with Hinata’s, where they’re resting against his lower abdomen.

     They’re about to fall asleep again, wrapped up in each other’s warmth, when their cats begin to meow loudly again. Hinata and Kageyama growl in unison, and Kageyama finally gets off the bed to open the bedroom door. Tora and Mittens III greet him with wide-eyed yellow looks, and identical meows.

     “Man, so impatient,” Kageyama complains, stepping out of the bedroom to approach the kitchen counter. The cats follow him eagerly, preceded by the ringing of the tiny bells that hang from their matching collars. “Why don’t you go hunt a mouse or something?”

     Once both plates are filled, and both cats are gulping down the food as if they hadn’t been fed like kings the night before, Hinata exits the bedroom, clad in nothing but his boxers. He scratches his head, and gives Kageyama a lazy smile on his way across the living room.

     “Good morning,” he says before standing on his tiptoes to press a soft kiss on Kageyama’s lips. “I’m hungry,” he announces once they part. Kageyama wraps his arms around his waist, and leans down to kiss him again.

     “That makes four of us, then,” Kageyama says against Hinata’s lips, before pulling his boyfriend into the kitchen with him.

     And as they pad into the kitchen together, the familiar tinkle of two small bells accompanies them.


End file.
